Improvement of cognitive functions by oral intake of Hericium erinaceus

This 2019 trial was conducted to find out whether consumption of the medicinal mushroom, hericium erinaceus, can improve cognitive functions. The subjects were given supplements containing the fruiting body of H. erinaceus for a period of 12 weeks. The participants later underwent several psychological tests including the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Benton visual retention test, and the standard verbal paired-associate learning test. The Mini Mental State Examination alone indicated that H. erinaceus significantly enhanced cognitive function and protected the consumer against cognitive deterioration. The study proposes that several of the mushroom components such as hericenones can influence brain neural networks and benefit cognition. The authors state that H. erinaceus is safe and a convenient method for dementia prevention. [NPID: cognition, dementia, psychology, mushroom, medicinal mushrooms, edible mushrooms, supplements]

Year: 2019

Reference: Saitsu, Y., Nishide, A., Kikushima, K., Shimizu, K., & OhnukiI, K. (2019). Improvement of cognitive functions by oral intake of hericium erinaceus . Biomedical Research, 40(4), 125–131. https://doi.org/10.2220/biomedres.40.125